Posts by: Corbett Barr

“It started as a whim in a coffee shop,” explains Joseph Michael, creator of Learn Scrivener Fast, an online course that teaches students how to use the popular writing program Scrivener. “I had been trying to get a pizza delivery job, but got rejected over and over. I just wanted to make some extra dough on the side.” The pun may have been intentional, but there was nothing funny about Joseph’s financial situation back then.

The odds are stacked against you. It’s true. I’m often amazed at how many people decide to try to build small businesses online, despite the odds. Maybe it’s naivete. Maybe it’s egotism. Maybe it’s bravery. Probably it’s a combination of all three. I think you need all three to succeed as an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship is all the rage. It’s everywhere. In TV and movies (Shark Tank, Silcon Valley, The Social Network), in books (The Four Hour Workweek, The $100 Startup, Lean Startup), in podcasts (StartUp, The Smart Passive Income podcast), and of course in blogs (Techcrunch and countless others). Entrepreneurship has gone mainstream. There are at least 400 startup incubators and accelerator programs in existence.

The FizzleCo team is once again growing! We're entering into an exciting stage of growth at Fizzle, and this is a great opportunity for the right person to join a very special little company. Update (4/8/15): this position has been filled. We'll be announcing our new team member very soon. Thank you to everyone who showed interest or applied.

Small businesses live and die by what our customers think of us. Staying intimately connected to your customer base isn't just advised, it's essential to your very survival. On The Fizzle Show, we often recommend talking with customers frequently, through both in-depth one-on-one interviews, responsive and frequent email conversations, and through surveys.

If you consider yourself a generalist, here's the good news: doing great work in the future will require the skills of a generalist, especially if you work independently or on a small team. And more and more of us are working independently these days. 40% of American workers will be freelancers by 2020 (and according to Freelancer's Union, 33% of us already are) and freelancers need to be generalists to be successful. You have to know a little bit of everything.

(click play on the video above, or click here if you're reading this in email) As the traditional publishing industry has shrunk over the past decade, some writers are actually finding it easier to earn a full-time living.

Blogging has been one of the most valuable things I've ever done in my life. As I said back in August (when I wrote Should I Start a Blog?), I don’t know of many other ways to spend your time that can lead to a bigger impact or payoff.

Click play on the video above. Staying motivated and changing ineffective habits are both essential skills for anyone working to become self-employed. When you don't have a boss or team to keep you on track, being able to change your behavior yourself can literally equal the difference between success and failure.

The Sparkline is the blog of Fizzle: honest training + vital community for people who want to build their thing and support themselves. It’s for creatives, makers, artists, hackers, bloggers and internetters willing to dig in and care about the what and why of independent business.